


Lost in New York City

by EmilytheLemur



Category: Penguins of Madagascar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:54:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28039488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmilytheLemur/pseuds/EmilytheLemur
Summary: A mission gone wrong leaves the penguins and lemurs lost in New York City, and they have to trust a stranger to get them home. But Skipper has a bad feeling about this newcomer. Is his suspensions right or does this stranger only want to help?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Penguins of Madagascar or any of its characters but I do own a couple of characters in this story.

It was after closing at the Central Park Zoo, and the penguins were in their HQ. Skipper paced in front of his team, murmuring under his breath. The strategist of the group had just announced that a truck full of fish was gonna pass through Midtown. After tracking it, they figured out exactly where it was heading, and now they were discussing a plan to receive the fish and bring it back here for a feast.

Finally Skipper stopped pacing and turned to the rest of his team. “When’s the truck supposed to pass by?” he asked Kowalski, who was looking over a map.

The tall penguin looked up when his leader spoke to him. Glancing at the clock, he answered,” 1800 hours.” He pointed to his map and added,” And it’s gonna pass right here.” He turned the map around to show his leader.

Skipper nodded in understanding, recognizing the area. It wasn’t too far away. “Come on, boys,” he ordered his team. “Let’s move out.”

The four penguins hurried up the ladder and through the hole, landing on the concrete island. His teammates followed Skipper out of the habitat, dropping to their stomachs and sliding to the zoo entrance. As they passed the lemur habitat, Private exclaimed,” I can’t wait to get all that fish!”

As soon as the king heard what the young penguin said, he jumped off his throne and watched the commandos go by. Anger rose in him, mixed with disgust. He hated that fishy smell, and he surely didn’t want them to bring it back to  _ his _ kingdom!

“Maurice!” he called his adviser, and the aye-aye was by his side within moments.

“What is it, Your Majesty?” Maurice asked, looking at his king anxiously.

“Those penguins are gonna bring back fish,” Julien explained ill-temperley. “I can’t allow this to happen in my kingdom. We have to stop them before they get their slippery… um… hands—“

“Flippers,” Maurice corrected him.

“Whatever!” the king shouted. “We have to stop them from getting any fish!” He stomped his foot angrily.

Maurice sighed. “Remember the last time we tried to stop the penguins from getting fish?” he muttered, looking annoyed. “It got all confusing and Pinkie ended up getting all the fish.”

“Yes, but I’m pretty sure I won that time, and I’m gonna win this time too.”

As he spoke, little Mort joined them and stared up at the king with shining eyes. “You always have the bestest plans ever!” the mouse lemur cheered, jumping up and down.

“See, Maurice?” Julien grinned at his adviser. “Mort agrees with me. Now come on,” he went on in a rush before Maurice could argue anymore. “Let’s follow the penguins!”

* * *

Skipper looked out of his hiding place behind a dumpster to see that Kowalski was ready to switch the traffic lights. The other two members of the team were waiting to jump into the truck when it stopped at the red light.

The leader spotted the truck coming down the road, and he picked up his walkie talkie. “Okay, Kowalski,” Skipper said into the radio with a glance back at the fast approaching truck. “Switch to red… Now!”

Skipper could see the smart penguin messing with wires in a small box near the traffic light, and a moment later, the green light changed to red. Skipper grinned when the truck came to a skidding halt. He signaled to Private and Rico, telling them with his flipper to open the truck’s back door.

They jumped onto the back of the truck, and Skipper saw that Rico coughed up something unlock the door. Then they opened the door and disappeared into the truck. Skipper nodded, glad to see the plan working.

Suddenly there was a flash of gray and without warning, Julien appeared and closed the truck’s door. Anger burned inside Skipper when it hit him that the ring tailed king just trapped his teammates in the truck.

Throwing his walkie talkie to the ground, Skipper slid over to the truck, silently thanking Kowalski for being able to hold the red light for so long. The leader of the penguins jumped up beside Julien and pushed him off without a word.

The lemur fell to the sidewalk hard, but Skipper didn’t care enough about him to check if he was okay. He opened the truck’s door and sighed a relief when he saw his teammates sitting in front of him. They stared wide-eyed at him, but before he could order that they grab a box or two and get out of here, something slammed into him, sending him farther into the truck. Darkness engulfed him as Julien closed the door again.

Now, more angry than before, Skipper ran to the door and tried opening it, but it wouldn’t budge. He sighed and turned around, narrowing his eyes. He couldn’t see a thing in the darkness. The anxious voice of the young penguin spoke beside him.

“What does Julien think he’s doing?” Private asked, and Skipper could picture him looking worriedly at his leader.

“I have no idea,” Skipper growled. He could hear Rico making confused grunts, but like most of the time, he couldn’t understand the crazy bird.

Suddenly a voice spoke, startling Skipper. Then he relaxed when he realized it was Kowalski over Private’s walkie talkie. For the first time, the leader was thankful for the darkness that hid his reaction.

“Skipper?” the penguin asked, sounding anxious. “Skipper, are you okay?”

Skipper took the radio from Private. “Yes,” he answered. “But we can’t get out of here. What did Ringtail do?”

It was silent for a couple of moments, then the tall penguin finally answered. “It looks like he put the lock back on the door.”

Skipper shook his head. He knew Julien hated the smell of fish, and he expected him to do something to stop the penguins, but he never thought he’d lock them in the truck. Skipper was about to respond to the strategist when suddenly the truck jerked forward and around a sharp corner. Skipper stumbled.

He brought the walkie talkie to his beak again. “Kowalski?”

“Sorry, Skipper,” the penguin replied. “I couldn’t hold the light anymore. But don’t worry, I’m gonna try to get ahead of the truck and change the next light. I’m gonna see if I can get you out of there.”

Skipper didn’t respond. He sat down, waiting for his teammate to do what he said he’d do, but after awhile the truck was still moving. He looked up when he heard something on top of the roof, and then Kowalski spoke over the walkie talkie again. “The lemurs are on top of the truck,” he told his leader. “I’m following it, but I don’t know where it’s heading.”

The leader opened his beak to reply, but suddenly the truck stopped. Skipper jumped to his feet, wondering if Kowalski had managed to turn another light red.

The three penguins waited in silence for a few minutes, until the back door opened, but Skipper saw immediately that it wasn’t Kowalski who opened it.

A human appeared, and quickly Skipper signaled to his teammates to hide. From behind a box, the leader watched as the human started to unload. When he had his back to them, Skipper saw their chance to escape.

Skipper gestured to the outside, and the two penguins followed their leader into the bright sunlight. They ducked under the truck in case the human turned around and spotted them. Skipper watched as he picked up a box and walked away. With Private and Rico right behind them, Skipper slid away from the truck and hid behind a building.

Skipper glanced around, wondering where he was. He felt a cold chill go down his back when he realized that he didn’t recognize anything. If he had been aware of everything they pasted on the way here, he might have been able to lead the way back home. But since he was stuck in the back of the truck, he was afraid he was lost. He sighed. He believed he knew New York City like the back of his flipper, but he didn’t remember every being here before.

Suddenly he realized that the lemurs were still on top of the truck, waiting for the right time to jump down so the human didn’t see them. When they finally were able to get down, they casually walked over to where the penguins were hiding.

Anger burned inside Skipper and he ran out to meet Julien.

“What is wrong with you, man?” He demanded, glaring at the ring-tailed lemur. “Now because of you we’re lost and far, far from the zoo!”

Julien shrugged as if he didn’t see the problem. “I didn’t want you to be bringing back that nasty fishy smell,” he said, matching the penguin’s glare. “Getting lost is worth it if you can’t bring back any fish.”

The lead penguin opened his beak, but before he could continue to yell at him, he heard someone calling his name. He looked up to see Kowalski sliding to them. He jumped to his feet when he got to his friends, looking at them anxiously. “Are you okay?” he asked.

Skipper nodded, then said loudly,” No thanks to him.” He pointed to the lemur king. “He got us lost!”

Private and Rico appeared just then. “Lost?” Private asked, frowning. “Are you sure you don’t know where we are?”

The flat-headed penguin wished he could comfort the private, but he couldn’t lie to him. “I’m sure,” he murmured, sighing. He turned to Kowalski and asked,” Do you have any idea where we are?”

“I think we may be on the other side of the city, far, far from the zoo,” the tall penguin replied as he glanced around. “I have no idea how to get back.” He looked nervously at his leader.

Before Skipper could reply, a new, strange voice spoke from behind them. “Are you all lost?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Penguins of Madagascar or any of its characters but I do own a couple of characters in this story.

Spinning around, Skipper found himself looking at a dark ginger cat sitting by a lamp post, watching the zoo animals curiously. The cat got to his paws and walked over to the lead penguin. Instantly, Skipper got into a fighting position, ready to defend himself if this stranger attacked. He was aware of the other penguins behind him copying their leader.

But the cat remained calm as he came to a halt in front of Skipper. “Relax,” he said, offering the lead penguin a kind smile, but Skipper didn’t trust this cat. There was a nagging feeling in his gut that told him there was something very off about him.

“Who are you?” Skipper demanded, not taking his eyes off the ginger cat.

The cat dipped his head. “I’m called Scorch,” he replied, eyeing the penguin closely. “Why are you all here?” he asked, his gaze traveling over the rest of the penguins and lemurs. “There isn’t a zoo anywhere near here.” He blinked curiously at them. “The closest one is the Central Park Zoo, but it takes a while to walk there.”

Skipper kept an eye on the cat, but he lowered his flippers and signaled to his team to stand down. “We need to get back to that zoo,” he told him warily. “So if you’d point us in the right direction, we’ll get out of your fur.”

Scorch seemed to think about what the lead penguin said, before shaking his head. “I’m sorry, but if you wish to get back there, I’m gonna have to come with you.”

“Why?” Skipper took a threatening step toward the cat.

“You’d have to pass many cats’ territories to get there,” the ginger tom explained. “I don’t want you to become dinner for any hungry cats.” There was a hint of amusement in his words, and Skipper shivered, not liking this cat by the second.

“We’ll take our chances,” he said. “Now just tell us where we need to go.” He prepared to make this cat tell him what he needed to know when suddenly Private appeared beside him, looking up at him with those innocent eyes of his.

“Perhaps we should take him up on his offer, Skippah.” The young penguin glanced at the ginger cat, before turning back to his leader. “It seems like he just wants to help us.”

Skipper opened his beak, about to remind the private that they couldn’t trust strangers, when he was pushed aside by Julien, who walked up to the cat, coming to a stop in front of him. “You really know how to get us back to the zoo?” he asked.

Dipping his head, Scorch said,” I know where pretty much anything is in New York City.”

Julien turned back to the zoo animals and announced,” I think we should follow the kitty cat.”

Anger rose inside Skipper. “I don’t care what you think, Ringtail!” he growled, glaring at the lemur. “If it wasn’t for you, we’d be back at the zoo right now, feasting on fish!”

The two animals glared at each other for several heartbeats, before Scorch pushed between them. “Fish?” he asked as he looked down at the lead penguin curiously, but Skipper didn’t want to tell this cat about his team’s mission to receive all that fish from the truck.

“That’s classified,” he told the ginger cat, switching his glare on him.

Scorch stared at Skipper for a long moment, making the penguin feel uncomfortable under his gaze, but he matched it. He wasn’t going to back down from some cat. Finally, Scorch turned away from the penguin and shrugged.

“I’m just trying to help you out,” the cat murmured. “But I can tell you’re not the kind of animal to trust strangers. You always think everyone is a threat, even when they’re not.”

Skipper stared at the cat, shocked beyond words. What he just said… it was like Scorch had read his mind.... The lead penguin dismissed that thought, telling himself that nobody was capable of doing that. He glanced around at the other zoo animals, realizing they were waiting for him to say something. Then he met Private’s pleading eyes, and the leader sighed in defeat.

“Fine, cat,” he said as he looked back at the ginger tom. “You can show us the way back to the zoo.”

Scorch purred and then turned, walking away. “Follow me,” he called over his shoulder with a flick of his tail.

Skipper looked back at the penguins and lemurs before running to catch up to Scorch, but keeping his distance from the cat. He noticed the others following him; he growled under his breath when Private started walking side by side with Scorch.

“It’s really nice of you for showing us the way back,” the young penguin said, smiling.

The cat looked down at Private. “It’s not a problem,” he replied. “I enjoy helping animals who can’t help themselves.”

Skipper knew Private said something back, but the lead penguin tuned them out, unable to hear anymore. He glanced around at his surroundings, desperate to recognize anything so they could get rid of this strange cat. But everything was still unfamiliar to him. He silently cussed Julien for getting them lost.

_ If it wasn’t for him, we’d be back in HQ right now with all that fish! _ he thought, glaring at the lemur King, but Julien didn’t seem to notice. He was walking on Scorch’s other side, listening to the cat’s and Private’s conversation.

Suddenly Skipper realized that Kowalski was walking beside him. “Do you think we can trust this cat?” the tall penguin whispered to his leader, keeping an eye on Scorch.

Skipper sighed and glanced at Kowalski. “I’m not sure,” he admitted. “My gut is telling me there is definitely something off about him. I just don’t know what, but I’m gonna keep a close eye on him,” he added after a short pause.

“That might be the best thing,” Kowalski decided, nodding thoughtfully. “I feel like something’s not quite right with him, too.”

They stopped talking as they followed everyone else down the sidewalk. Skipper kept glancing at Scorch, telling himself that he needed to be prepared in case the cat made a wrong move. But as they walked, nothing happened.

After a while, he realized that Scorch had come to a halt, and Skipper stopped too, glancing at the ginger cat. Despite his distrust of the stranger, he wanted to know why he looked so anxious.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, but Scorch slapped his tail across his beak and hissed quietly,” Shh, this part of town belongs to a cat who can’t be trusted. We need to keep an eye out for him.”

_ A cat who can’t be trusted? _ Skipper thought, glaring at the ginger tom.  _ You mean, besides you? _ But he said nothing out loud, just gave him a curt nod and pulled away from him.

Cautiously everyone walked on, and Skipper could feel the tension from the zoo animals as if they believed what Scorch said. Skipper wasn’t sure if he did, but just then he felt like someone was watching him. He stopped and looked around, but didn’t see anything. He was about to run to catch up to his team when suddenly a cat stepped out of an alleyway. He was a ginger cat like Scorch but this one had one white paw and a white chest.

Skipper ran to his team’s side and opened his beak to demand this cat to tell him who he was, but the newcomer’s gaze was glued on Scorch as he growled,” What are you doing here, brother?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Penguins of Madagascar or any of its characters but I do own a couple of characters in this story. However I do not own the powers they possess. I got the idea from my favorite author Erin Hunter who writers the Warriors series. Jayfeather once had these same powers so I’m not taking credit for them whatsoever.

Scorch forced his discomfort not to show as he walked over to his brother. “Let us pass peacefully, Swift,” he said calmly, but he eyed him closely to make sure he didn’t do anything bad. He could feel waves of hatred coming off Swift as he glared at Scorch.

The youngest penguin suddenly appeared beside Scorch, and he looked up at the ginger cat with huge, innocent eyes. “Is this your brother, Scorch?” he asked.

Before Scorch could answer, the lead penguin took a step toward Swift. “Let us pass this instant!” he demanded.

Scorch couldn’t help but wince when Swift’s hatred was turned on the flat-headed penguin. “And who would you be?” he asked, glaring down at the bird.

“Who we are is none of your business!” the leader growled, matching Swift’s glare. “Let us pass!”

Scorch shook his head, pushing the penguin away, and turned to face Swift. “Please listen to me, brother,” he meowed, keeping his temper in check, but he couldn’t help getting upset deep down when Swift did something like this. “We need to pass through your territory, and I would like to do it without a fight.”

Switch turned to his brother sharply, anger and hatred rolling off him like droplets on a building after a rainstorm. “Where is the fun in that?” he growled, flicking his tail to and fro. “Why do you even want to pass through?”

His anger was so strong now that Scorch was almost swept off his paws, but he stood his ground as he answered,” I’m showing these animals back to their zoo.”

“Why not go the other way around?” Swift asked, his green eyes blazing.

“Because that’ll take two or more days walking,” Scorch protested. “Please, Swift, just let us pass. We promise not to stay on your territory any longer than we have to.”

The flat-headed penguin opened his beak to say something, but Scorch slapped his tail over his mouth, silencing him. Then Scorch turned back to his brother, encouraged to see that Switch was thinking about what he said. Finally he took a step back and growled,” Okay, Scorch, but I’m gonna keep an eye on you. If I find out that you are still in my territory when the sun sets, I’m gonna track you down, and I don’t know you want that.”

Scorch glanced up at the sky, fear briefly gripping his heart when he realized that sunset wasn’t too far off, but he couldn’t argue with him. He was just glad that he was allowing them to pass through his territory.

“Sounds fair,” he murmured as he walked by Swift. He prayed to his ancestors above that the others will follow without a word, and he was glad when they did. But he noticed the leader of the penguins glaring at Swift as they passed.

“What was all that about?” the tallest of the flightless birds asked as he ran to catch up to Scorch.

Not wanting to discuss his complicated rivalry with his brother, Scorch decided to distract them. “You know, you all haven’t told me your names yet,” he pointed out as he looked over his shoulders at the zoo animals. He ignored the quizzical looks the tall penguin was still giving him.

The smallest of the penguins smiled at Scorch as he said,” I’m Private.” Then he pointed to the penguin with a Mohawk and a crazy look in his eyes. “And that’s Rico.”

When Private introduced him, Rico made a grunt noise, but Scorch wasn't sure what he said.

“And my name’s Kowalski,” the tall penguin added, and Scorch could still feel his eyes searching his pelt even without turning to him.

Scorch glanced over at the flat-headed penguin as they continued to walk, but he just had a hard expression on his face and refused to look at the cat.

“That’s Skippah,” whispered Private to Scorch. “I’m sorry, but he doesn’t trust strangers.”

Scorch nodded, already knowing that from the waves of distrust that was aimed toward him. He turned back to look in front of him, and then he noticed that the lemur with a ring-tailed had appeared in his way. The ginger tom came to a halt and looked down at the creature.

“And I’m  _ King _ Julien,” he announced proudly.

Scorch eyed the lemur. “A king, huh?” he asked, suddenly interested, but before he could say more, the other two lemurs appeared next to the king.

“I’m Maurice,” the short gray lemur said, and then he pointed to the smallest brown creature beside him. “And this is Mort.”

Mort looked up at the cat with huge eyes. “Hello!” He said, a smile forming on his face.

Scorch opened his mouth to respond, but just then the lead penguin walked over to him. “Can we please just get a move on?” he asked with a glare at the cat. “Don’t we need to be out of your brother’s territory by sunset? And—“ He glanced at the sky before turning back to Scorch—“ that isn’t far off.”

The ginger tom nodded and gently pushed past the lemurs. He glanced around, trying to figure out the quickest route out of Swift’s territory, but he noticed Private beside him.

“What was with your brother anyways?” the small penguin asked. “He seemed really… mean.”

_ Mean? _ Scorch almost snorted out loud.  _ Mean is the tempest word to describe Swift… _ Instead, Scorch explained,” He’s always been like that since his owners left him alone when they moved away.”

A frown appeared on Private’s face. “Oh, that’s so sad.”

Scorch nodded absently. He was too focused on finding a quick way out of his brother’s territory to worry about what Swift has become. “Come on,” he meowed when he sought out a path. “Let’s cut through this alleyway.”

He started walking toward the alleyway, thankful to see that Skipper and the others were right behind him. Once in the alley, he halted, staring at the fence in front of him.  _ The humans must have just put that up, _ he thought, remembering the last time he came this way there hadn’t been a fence. He glanced behind him at the zoo animals and asked,” Do you think you all can jump over that?” He gestured with his tail.

Skipper gave a curt nod as he turned to the other penguins. He gave them singles with his flippers, and then they all ran to the fence, but Scorch suddenly noticed that they started heading more toward the wall. The cat watched in awe as the penguins jumped into the air, bouncing off the wall, and landing on the other side with ease.

“They do this sort of thing every day.”

Scorch jumped at the voice beside him, but he relaxed when he realized that it was only Maurice. He looked down at the lemur, but didn’t respond to what he said. Instead he asked him and his friends,” Do you think you could get over?”

It was the king who replied. “Of course,” he insisted. “If the silly penguins can do it, we can, too! Come on, Maurice!” he added as he looked down at the shorter lemur.

Maurice was staring at his king like he just grew two heads on his shoulders. “Can’t we just hop over the fence instead of doing what the penguins did?” he asked.

Julien sighed and muttered,” Fine.”

The three lemurs ran to the fence and climbed it quickly. Scorch was about to follow when suddenly he felt eyes watching him. He glanced over his shoulder, knowing his brother was close by.

“Come on” Skipper yelled from the other side of the fence. “We don’t have all day!” He looked up at the slowly descending sun, before turning a frustrated look on Scorch.

“I’m coming!” the cat answered as he dashed over to the fence and started climbing it like the lemurs did. Once he was on the other side, he meowed,” Come on, let’s carry on.”

* * *

They managed to make it out of Swift’s territory before the sun completely set, and now they walked down a street in the dark. Scorch came to a halt and turned to the zoo animals. “I think we should rest for the night,” he told everyone.

“I don’t think so, cat,” Skipper growled. “I want to keep walking until we get to the zoo.” He glared at Scorch, who sighed.

Glancing around at the tired lot, he told Skipper,” Everyone is exhausted. They need to rest for the night, but I promise I will get you to the zoo tomorrow before the sun is at its highest point in the sky.”

“But if Alice notices we’re gone, she’s going to get suspicious,” Private pointed out, looking up at his leader, but Scorch could tell that he couldn’t walk any further even if pushed.

“Private’s right,” Kowalski spoke up, turning to Skipper. “But Scorch is right too; we need to rest.” Scorch could feel his exhaustion like it was his own.

Skipper seemed to think for a few moments, until he sighed and announced,” We’re going to rest for the night. There’s nothing else we can do,” he went on after looking over his team. “If everyone is tired, it’s going to be dangerous carrying on through the city at night.”

Kowalski nodded in agreement. “Should we set up a guard?” Instead of asking his leader that question, he directed it to Scorch, but the ginger tom shook his head.

“We aren’t in any cat’s territory,” he answered. “Everyone should get some sleep.

Skipper eyed the cat for a few minutes. “Where should we sleep?” he finally asked.

“In that alleyway,” Scorch replied, pointing into the dark. Everyone followed him as he walked into the alleyway, and they all fell to the ground with an exhausted groan.

Scorch’s mouth parted in a huge yawn, but he didn’t want to go to sleep just yet. He had to wait for the right moment to show the lead penguin that he wasn’t dangerous and that he really did want to help him and the others.

The ginger tom laid down, his eyes fixed on Skipper as the penguin sat beside his team. They seemed to be talking about something, but Scorch tried not to eavesdrop.

Finally Skipper settled down. He fidgeted for a few moments, until finally he was in a deep sleep. Scorch glanced around at everyone else and saw that they were asleep, too. The ginger tom laid his head on his paws and closed his eyes, his mind focused on the leader of the penguins.

The world opened up before Scorch, and he found himself in a room made of stone. He looked around, seeing four beds in the wall, a ladder that led upwards, and a door that led to another part of the room. He jumped over the steps and looked across from him to see Skipper sitting in front of a black box that flashed with colorful lights.

Scorch walked over to him, still glancing around the stone room. He finally came to a halt behind him and asked,” So this is your home back at the zoo?”

Instantly Skipper jumped to his feet and faced the cat. At first he didn’t seem to recognize him, but as he looked closer, his eyes widened. “Scorch?” he asked, and the ginger tom nodded. “What are you doing here? Am I dreaming?”

Scorch looked down at his paws, before looking back up at the penguin. “I have these powers,” he finally said. “I’m able to walk in other animal’s dreams.”  _ No reason to mention my other powers, _ he thought.

A hard look came on Skipper’s face as he glared at the cat. “Why did you have to enter my dream?” he demanded.

“I want to prove to you that I’m not dangerous, and that you can trust me,” Scorch explained, dipping his head respectfully. “I don’t use my powers for evil, and I like helping animals, like I’m helping you and your friends right now.”

Skipper eyed the cat for a long moment. “You want to prove that by entering my dream without permission? How is that proving you’re trustworthy?”

Scorch bowed his head. “Sorry…” he muttered. He really thought he was using his powers for good, but maybe Skipper was right.  _ Maybe I should have told him in the waking world. _

Finally Skipper sighed and murmured,” Maybe we did get off on the wrong foot.” Scorch started to feel hopeful, though that hope vanished when Skipper added after a short pause,” But I don’t trust your brother. When we met him, he just seemed too eager to start a fight.”

“Yeah,” Scorch agreed. “He has the same powers, but he uses his for evil.” The ginger tom didn’t meet Skipper’s eyes. “Now,” he continued as he looked at the stone floor,” I should go. I’ll see you when you wake up.” He turned to leave; he heard Skipper calling him back, but he didn’t reply to the flat-headed penguin. Relief crashed over him when the stone room started to fade around him, and Scorch lifted his head. He was back in the alleyway with the zoo animals surrounding him, gently snoring as they slept.

His eyes looked over Skipper, still deep in sleep, his leg twitching once. Scorch laid his head on his paws, hoping his visit to him would calm Skipper and let him trust the ginger tom. When Scorch was finally able to go back to sleep, he didn’t dream again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Penguins of Madagascar or any of its characters but I do own a couple of characters in this story. However I do not own the powers they possess. I got the idea from my favorite author Erin Hunter who writers the Warriors series. Jayfeather once had these same powers so I’m not taking credit for them whatsoever.

Voices broke into Skipper’s dreams, and the lead penguin jumped to his feet, forgetting where he was for a few moments. But then it came rushing back to him and he sighed. He glanced around, spotting Scorch and Kowalski talking.

“Are you sure we will get back to the zoo today?” the tall penguin was asking Scorch.

“Yes,” the cat answered. “It shouldn’t be long now.” He glanced over his shoulder, and Skipper froze when his green eyes landed on him. His dream suddenly came back to him, and he remembered Scorch telling him that he had powers that allow him to enter other animal’s dreams. He shivered, wondering if that really happened.

Scorch got to his paws and walked over to Skipper. “Finally you’re awake,” he meowed with a hint of amusement in his voice. “Everyone else has been up for a while now.”

Glancing around, Skipper saw his other two teammates sitting beside the wall, while the lemurs stood around; the king looked bored, and his subjects appeared like they were waiting for someone to tell them what to do.

“Why did nobody wake me?” Skipper demanded, walking over to his team. Kowalski ran over to join the other penguins as Private and Rico stumbled to their feet.

“I wanted to,” Kowalski told his leader. “But Scorch told me to let you sleep for a while longer.”

Skipper turned around. “Why did you tell him that?” he asked the cat.

Scorch shrugged. “You looked so peaceful sleeping,” he meowed. “And after yesterday I thought you could use some extra sleep. But now that you’re awake,” he added before Skipper could reply,” it’s time we got moving.” He walked out of the alleyway, followed by everyone else.

Running to catch up to the cat, Skipper asked him,” Did you have a dream last night?”

The ginger tom looked down at him, a purr starting in his throat. “Yeah,” he replied, then after a short pause, he added,” I like your home at the zoo.”

Skipper skidded to a halt, and Scorch turned to him. “So your powers are real?” he asked, but he noticed everyone else beside him, and when he asked that they all turned questioningly to Scorch.

“Powers?” Private asked as he waddled up to the cat. “What does he mean?”

Scorch sighed. Skipper then realized that he had wanted to keep his powers a secret from the others, and he felt guilty for exposing them.

“I have these powers,” Scorch started as he began to walk again; everyone ran after him. He paused for a long moment, and then finally he went on,” I’m able to walk into animals’ dreams, and last night I entered Skipper’s. That’s how he knows about my powers.”

As they turned down a street, Skipper glanced around to make sure no human was about. Then he turned to his team; he wasn;t surprised when he saw the disbelief in Kowalski’s eyes.

“There’s no such thing as powers,” the tall penguin said with a roll of his eyes. “And there’s definitely no power that allows animals to enter another animal’s dreams.”

Scorch glanced back at Kowalski, before turning back in front of him. “Besides walking into other animals’ dreams,” he started hesitantly,” I can also sense other animals’ feelings and thoughts, and right now I’m picking up that you’re into science and since science doesn’t prove the existence of powers or magic, you don’t believe in those kinds of things.”

Skipper stared at him, dumbfounded. Scorch didn’t mention those powers to him last night in his dream. But if he didn’t have them, how else could he have known so much about Kowalski? He must really be able to read his mind!

Before Kowalski could reply, Private spoke up. “Well, I believe you.” The small penguin smiled up at Scorch. “And I think it’s pretty cool!”

Kowalski turned to his leader. “You don’t actually believe him, do you?” he asked Skipper with wide, confused eyes.

Skipper nodded. “I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t witnessed his powers myself,” he said. “But he walked in my dream. He saw our HQ.”

The three penguins turned their attention back on the cat. Private’s eyes were shining curiously as Rico growled at him as if he didn’t like the idea of a stranger seeing where they lived. Kowalski, on the other hand, started questioning the cat. “What does our lair look like if you’ve seen it?” the tall penguin asked him.

Scorch glanced at the penguins, and then he started describing what their hidden HQ looked like, not missing a single detail. The three penguins looked at him with wide eyes as he spoke. Skipper understood their shock; if the cat hadn’t walked in his dream, he wouldn’t believe it either.

Suddenly Julien ran in front of Scorch, causing him to come to a halt. “You really have powers?” he asked as he eyed the cat, and Skipper could see that it was out of curiosity, not suspicion.

Scorch dipped his head and continued to walk, rounding a corner. Everyone ran after him. “I’m supposed to keep my powers a secret,” he said over his shoulder. “So please don’t tell anyone else, okay?”

“Of course,” Private assured the cat. “You can trust us to keep your powers a secret.”

“But how did you get these powers?” Kowalski spoke up as he hurried to Scorch’s side. “I’m not saying I believe in them,” he quickly added. “I’m just curious to know how you got them, if they were real.”

“I was born with them,” Scorch answered. “My mother said our ancestors gave them to us so we can help animals in danger.”

Kowalski lifted a nonexistence eyebrow as he studied the cat. “We?” he questioned.

“Yes,” Scorch replied without looking at him. “My brother has these powers too. But he uses them for evil.”

Skipper was about to tell Kowalski to leave the cat alone, when suddenly he realized he was beginning to recognize some things.

“I think we’re close to the park,” Skipper told everyone as he ran ahead. He came to a halt when he spotted the trees in the distance and a sidewalk leading into Central Park. He turned around to see the others catching up.

“We’re almost home!” Private said cheerfully.

Skipper opened his beak to reply, but then he noticed humans walking about. He signaled to everyone to hide, and when they were away from the people, he said,” Okay, we need to get back without anyone seeing us.”

“We can jump through the trees,” Julien spoke up, glancing at his two subjects.

Skipper glared at him. “That might work for you, Ringtail,” he growled. “But we can’t do that.”

Julien shrugged and looked away from the penguin.

“Why don’t the lemur swing from the trees, like the king said?” Scorch asked as he looked at Skipper. “And I’m sure you penguins can hide behind the trees until you get to the zoo.”

“You’re not coming with us?” Private asked before the lead penguin could say anything.

The ginger tom shook his head. “I need to begin my journey home,” he pointed out as he took a step back. “But it was great meeting you all.”

Unexpected sadness overtook Skipper at the thought of Scorch leaving. He had grown to trust this cat, and he dared to think he liked him. He knew Scorch could come in handy if they needed an extra man for a mission. He stepped toward the cat and asked,” Why don’t you move closer to our zoo?”

Scorch looked at him in surprise. “Why?” he asked.

“In case we need your help in a future date,” Skipper explained, hoping he would agree, but Scorch shook his head.

“My home is on the other side of the city,” he said. “But don’t worry,” he added as if he noticed how sad everyone was feeling about him leaving. “I’m sure we’ll meet again someday.” And with that, the ginger tom turned and ran the way they came, back toward his home.

Skipper watched him go, before turning back to everyone else. “Okay, Ringtail,” he started. “You and the other two swing from the trees.”

Julien gave him a curt nod, but he didn’t seem pleased to be told what to do. Maurice shoved his king toward the nearest trees before Julien could say anything, and Mort ran to catch up to them.

“Come on, boys,” Skipper told his team, and they followed as he ran to the trees, hiding from the passing by humans. They kept behind the thick trunks, and Skipper could see the lemurs jump through the branches, until finally they all met up again besides the wall of the zoo.

Without saying a word, Skipper pushed the poster of himself and his team aside, and a dark tunnel greeted him. He slid into it, aware of everyone else right behind him. He halted when they made it to the other side, and he gently pushed the second poster away. He saw several humans walking by, but once it was clear, he jumped out of the tunnel and ran behind a trash can. The others followed him.

He glanced out to see the penguins’ habitat, but his heart sank when he saw several humans around it, clearly looking for the flightless birds. He turned to his team and said,” Okay, we need a distraction.” He glanced at Private, who nodded and dropped to his stomach, sliding over to where the humans were. Skipper was glad to see that everyone turned to him.

“Okay, now’s our chance,” he said, knowing Private can’t distract them forever.

“How are we going to get back into our habitat?” Maurice asked, glancing around the can. Skipper noticed a few humans surrounding the lemur habitat.

“Sad Eyes,” Skipper said as he turned to Mort. “Can you go distract the humans?”

Mort just blinked up at Skipper.

Julien groaned and lifted his foot. He said,” Be going to distract the humans now!” and then he kicked the little lemur over to their habitat. Mort landed on his face, but he jumped back to his feet as the humans turned to him.

Without another word, Julien and Maurice ran to their habitat, jumping over the wall before anyone saw them. Mort looked at the humans one more time, and then ran to join the two lemurs on the tall platform in their habitat.

Skipper turned to Kowalski and Rico, and then signaled to them to go back to their own habitat. They dropped to their stomach, sliding to the gates and jumping into the water unnoticed; Skipper was right behind them.

Once they were in their habitat, on the island, Skipper saw that Private was still distracting the humans by jumping around and acting cute. Then the lead penguin waved his flippers around to signal to the young penguin to join them. Private nodded and ran past the humans, jumping over the gates and landing on the island beside Skipper.

All the humans turned to the penguins, and Skipper was glad to see that they didn’t seem to figure out what just happened. He sighed with relief as he glanced at Private. “Good job, young private,” he said.

“Thanks, Skippah!” He smiled, then he got a serious look on his face as he asked,” Do you think we’ll ever see Scorch again?”

“He said he was sure we’ll meet again someday,” Kowalski spoke up before Skipper had the chance to. “I’m still uncertain about his powers, but he does seem knowledgeable.”

Skipper nodded in agreement as he looked at the humans surrounding the penguins’ habitat.  _ I hope we will meet Scorch again, _ he thought.  _ He seems like a useful ally. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END!!

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment and tell me what you think! Thank you!


End file.
